Rain
by Aeryn Phoenix
Summary: HotU one shot, Valen/FemPC smut/fluff.


**A/N:** I finally caved and wrote a Valen smut fic. I couldn't help it, and I blame Valen. Strangely, this didn't start out as a smut piece at all. The original idea was so sweet and fluffy that you could float away on it, but I guess it developed a mind of its own. Actually, it is still pretty fluffy, but it's primarily smut. The PC in this story is a wild elf druid named Silmathralia (who goes by Lia for the obvious reason that no one would want to say Silmathralia more than once in their life). I'm going to be honest and say that I don't much care for elves or druids for that matter, so I've never actually played a character like this one. I hope I was able to do her justice.

**Disclaimer:** I don't own HotU, NWN, Valen, etc, etc, etc.

**Warning:** For sex. Seriously, it's all Valen's fault.

* * *

**Rain**

"And you just let her go? After you insisted that we rest, threatened to put a sleep spell on me, you just let her walk right out the gate? Unbelievable!"

The Seer raised a curious snowy eyebrow at the tiefling's outburst, her gaze drifting for a moment to his tail as it lashed the air behind him. Such an obvious tell seemed out of place on the towering male, imposing even without his armor and weapon, but she kept her amusement hidden. "Silmathralia is not a prisoner," the aging drow softly explained. "She is a grown woman and may come and go as she sees fit."

"I know that," Valen shot back, a defensive frown on his face, "but it's not safe to be outside the gates. The Valsharess' army could arrive in a matter of hours."

"I am certain she knows this and will use caution, dear Valen."

"That's not the point!" Frustrated, the tiefling had to force himself not to pace the hard marble floor.

The Seer gave him a searching stare, her beautiful face lined with concern. "I had thought your suspicions long assuaged."

Valen blinked in confusion. "What? Oh…" understanding dawned on him, "no! It's not that – I trust her. Lia's more than proven her loyalty, and by the hells I know we'd never have come so far without her help. We _can_ win this now. It's just that…if she's not here…I…how can I…I can't…."

The tiefling sighed heavily and looked away as the Seer watched him deflate, a little surprised at the unspoken but obvious confession, and later she would chide herself for not noticing the signs sooner. "She looked a bit upset when she left," the drow's voice was carefully measured. "It must be difficult for one such as she to remain here in the Underdark for so long."

"I can't imagine…I've tried to understand what it must be like for her, but I can't." The Seer felt a pang of understanding at the helpless look in his pale blue eyes.

"She said she needed solitude, time to clear her mind…yet I have found that often times when we wish to be alone, in truth the one thing we need more than anything else is companionship. The comfort of another person supporting us."

Although the hint was anything but subtle, Valen shifted his weight uncertainly and gave the Seer a long, appraising look. "She's had so little time to herself…and our scouts could return at any moment…."

"Do not be so determined to talk yourself out of seeking her," the Seer chuckled softly with a gesture of gentle rebuke. "We might very well meet our end this day, my loyal guardian. Now is the time to speak your mind…or it may soon be too late."

-

Valen hated leaving the city without his armor, even with Devil's Bane securely at his hip, but the idea of marching out to find his absent companion looking as if he were raiding an enemy camp seemed like overkill…even to him. So, protected by only his training leathers, the tiefling slipped out the gate and began to track his very elusive prey.

Apparently a druid was as light-footed in the Underdark as they were rumored to be on the surface, and it took Valen several minutes to pick up her trail. Even then, it was not her but her animal companion who gave away her location. Valen frowned to himself as he tracked the wolf's paw prints, curious why the beast would leave such a clear trail when he was often so good at hiding his tracks.

He hadn't gone far, less than a mile from the gates, when he heard soft sounds coming from around a rise. Crouching down behind an outcrop of rock, Valen crept forward quietly in case he found something other than his wayward elven companion. What he saw when he peered over the edge of his hiding place made him flush crimson from his horns down to the tip of his swaying tail.

Lia was kneeling on the hard ground, her forehead wrinkled in concentration as she traced strange symbols into the dirt in the vague semblance of a summoning circle – and she was completely naked. Apparently her occasional flirtatious comments to the tiefling about preferring to forego clothing as often as possible when alone were not jokes. Valen stayed rooted in place, unable to rip his eyes off of her lean, muscular form as his demonic blood roared in his ears, unprepared for the sight of her like that.

Take her. She's made it clear that she wants you, so why do you hesitate? Her skin will taste delicious…take her! Put your mark on that pretty hide of hers, show her the price of her constant taunts, the cost of teasing a demon.

Valen drew in long slow breaths, silencing the taint within him as he forced his eyes closed, blocking out the sight of the naked wild elf. Others assumed that his demonic taint was like a separate entity within him, a part that could be caged or suppressed, but it was so much more than that. As much as he despised it, the taint _was_ him, fused into every fiber of his being in such a way that it was not a simple matter of being the demon or being the man. He was both, unable to rid himself of one or give himself fully to the other.

After several seconds, he felt calm enough to risk opening his eyes, but he hesitated to look out from his rocky hiding place. He stared at the ground for a moment, a deep frown forming, until he finally decided the best thing to do would be to return to the city. Clearly this was something she hadn't expected to share with anyone else and he already felt horrible for intruding.

"My, my, what have we here?" Valen froze, even his tail going completely still as the words drifted to him. His immediate thought was that he'd been caught, but he registered that the voice did not belong to Lia. Caught between curiosity and concern, he peeked up over the edge once more.

A devastatingly beautiful female dark elf stood beside the still crouched druid, though the latter was now snarling fiercely up at the new arrival. Lia's wolf companion growled savagely, the hair on the ridge of his back standing straight up as he waited for his Master to give him his instructions. Seemingly unconcerned that she was naked in the stranger's presence, the elf stood and spat, "Finally finished hiding behind your arch-devil pet?"

Valen's jaw clenched, his hand slipping to the hilt of his massive flail as he recognized the foul Valsharess, the Matron who had caused so much death and pain for nothing other than her own blind ambition. It was all he could do to stay hidden, but some small part of him needed to see this play out without his interference.

The drow smiled chillingly, her eyes raking appreciatively over the other woman's body. "You're not a shy one, are you, sweet surfacer. And so beautiful when angry." The dark elf laughed, a sound as malicious as it was seductive, then leaned in close to the wild elf and purred, "Such traits I find most desirable, _darthiir_."

The wolf let out several sharp, angry barks but stood his ground as Lia took a step back from the Valsharess, not bothering to hide her sneer of disgust. "And yet you utterly repulse me, _wael_. You have no business here. Be gone."

The dark elf's eyes narrowed dangerously at the insult as the naked woman turned her back, but the Valsharess displayed her acting skills as she artfully batted her snowy lashes and pouted out her lower lip. "You do not even wish to hear my proposal?"

"No," the wild elf answered briskly as she crouched once more and resumed her task of writing symbols in the dirt.

The Valsharess moved around to stand in front of the other elf, her face set with sickly-sweet disappointment. "Surely it would not hurt to hear me out, hmm?"

Lia rocked back on her heels and glowered up at the drow. "The fact that you are here proves that you are afraid. It will be most satisfying to see you fall."

Annoyance flashed across the Valsharess' face, and Valen had to grin wickedly to himself to see the arrogant wretch forced to practically beg the other woman to hear her out. "I can release you from your geas," she abruptly said, her voice now decisive. "You would be free of the hold that was forced upon you by the Mad Mage, free to return to your trees, your beloved forests." The Valsharess crouched in front of the now staring wild elf, her voice dropping low with false compassion. "I know how this place wears upon you, how your heart aches daily to be free of this prison. The Underdark is not your concern. Why should you suffer for it? Let me set you free, _lotha suru_."

Valen's heart thumped in his chest at the look on Lia's face, the pain and longing written so plainly there. She simply stared at the Valsharess for a few moments, her emotions obvious, but her thoughts a mystery. Then, without a word, she turned back to the symbols in the dirt. Although she looked startled, the dark elf stayed put, waiting with surprising patience until the circle was completed. When Lia stood, she leveled a hard gaze at the drow, dusting her hands together as she said coldly, "I would sooner trust a leech not to suck the blood from my veins. Get out of my sight."

The Valsharess was clearly seething, her teeth barred as she stood stiffly and growled at the druid, but Lia seemed focused on something far away, her lips and hands moving in the pattern of a spell. "You will regret this, surfacer fool," the drow hissed, her hands flexing into fists even as the druid continued to disregard her. "I shall enjoy beating the life out of your pathetic body when-."

"She said leave." Valen could not stand idly by anymore, and there was a dangerous warning written across his face as he stalked toward the two women with his flail in his hand.

"Valen?" Lia practically squeaked in surprise, then rushed to her neat pile of gear on a large rock shelf outside the circle and snatched her cloak around her hastily, blushing furiously. "W-what are you…?" Valen didn't have time to wonder why she was comfortable in the nude in the evil drow's presence but not his.

"Ah," the Valsharess breathed with a twisted smile. "The Seer's _errdegahr_ has come to rescue you." The lecherous way her eyes traveled over Valen's body put her previous efforts to shame. "I wonder, surfacer, have you tasted of his talents yet? I have heard the most delicious rumors regarding the size and stamina of males like him, though I have yet to partake in such pleasures myself." Her gaze drifted lower and she added with a smirk, "And gods only know the possibilities of that tail, hmm?"

Valen opened his mouth to answer, but Lia was suddenly standing between him and the drow, clutching her cloak around her with one hand. A startling flash of light filled the air above them suddenly, followed quickly by a low rumbling sound. "You have no business here," the elf murmured, her slate colored eyes narrowed in hatred. "Leave."

Doing her best to hold her haughty expression, it was clear that the Valsharess was nervous as another sharp burst of light filled the great cavern, the following rumble much louder this time. "So be it," she snarled at the pair. "Tell your beloved Seer to enjoy her last moments. Tomorrow I shall kill every last man, woman and child within these walls." Without another word, the drow vanished.

Lia sighed and dropped her face into her hand, her shoulders slumping as if under a great weight, but Valen was too concerned with what was going on above them as another brilliant flash lit up the area. "We should return to the city," he urged, his frown deepening as the cavern echoed another deep rumble. "We're not safe here."

"What?" Lia looked genuinely confused as she raised her head to studied him, the followed his gaze upward toward the ceiling. "Oh, you mean the storm? No," she chuckled weakly, looking a combination of weary and embarrassed, "it cannot hurt us. I summoned it."

"A storm?" Valen asked.

"Yes. You know…rain, thunder, lightning?" Her eyebrows raised as she thought of something and asked, "You _do_ know what a storm is, don't you?"

"Of course," he replied with a touch of annoyance. "I was questioning why you would summon one, here…in the Underdark."

"Oh…well…" Lia glanced away in apparent embarrassment then, pulling her cloak around her more securely. "I-I guess…I just…wanted to feel the rain on my face. One last time." She looked him fully in the eyes, worry and fear bright in their gray depths. "Just in case."

"I see," Valen muttered, slowly becoming increasingly aware of her state of undress and feeling more awkward by the second. "Then I apologize for intruding upon you, my Lady."

He had half turned away from her when she gently laid her hand on his shoulder. "You are not intruding, Valen," she said quietly, but her eyes were cautious as he looked back at her. "How…long have you been watching?"

Valen would have liked to tell her that he'd only just arrived, but images of her lean, agile body huddled over the summoning circle flashed through his mind and left him blushing like a fool. "I…uh, was worried about you," was his stumbling explanation as he looked anywhere but at her face.

Another low rumble of thunder rippled over them, the air heavy, stifling and expectant. Lia's smooth, cool fingers slid under his chin, tilting his face to meet her smiling eyes. "Thank you," she whispered, shifting a step closer to him.

_See how she teases! Take her now, fool, make her yours! Stop denying yourself!_

Valen flinched as if she'd struck him and stepped back from her. "I-I should be getting back," he stammered, avoiding the startled, hurt look on her face by turning his back on her. "I'm sorry."

"Valen, please." Her voice was barely above a whisper, but her tone stopped him in his tracks. "Don't leave."

The tiefling drew in a long, slow breath to calm the taint still whispering in the back of his mind then slowly turned to face the woman he'd been fighting beside for several weeks time. Her wild mane of straw-colored locks hung messy and unkempt down her back, and the cloak she clutched to her was slightly askew, revealing more than a glimpse of her powerful upper thigh. He didn't know what to say to her, had no idea how to make her understand that he was terrified that he would do her harm. "My Lady," he strained out, "I…."

His words faded to silence as a cold, wet drop landed on his forehead. Startled he blinked and looked skyward, only to feel several more drops trickle down his face. It had been a long time since he'd felt rain, and for only a second he closed his eyes and simply enjoyed the strange feeling. When he finally looked back at the wild elf once more, he was devastated to see silent tears mingling with the falling rain on her cheeks.

"My Lady? Lia?" Unable to stop himself, Valen reached out to take her by the shoulders, his face a mask of worry. "Why do you cry?"

She twisted within his grasp and the rain began to fall a bit harder as she pressed herself firmly against his chest. "I need you," she whispered, her fingers grasping at the chest of his leathers as he stood there, stunned and uncertain. Her hand traveled up around the back of his head and twined in the sensitive hairs on the back of his neck, making him shiver. "Please," she pleaded, "stay."

His hands rested lightly on the small of her back, but Valen reigned in his desire. "Lia…I don't…" he groaned aloud as she slid her other arm around his waist, letting the cloak fall to the ground so that Valen suddenly found his hands holding her bare flesh. "I don't want to hurt you," he finally managed through the haze that clouded his mind as she raised up on her toes, her breath hot against his lips.

"I'm not afraid of you, Valen Shadowbreath," she replied with something like amusement in her voice. Faintly her felt the soft brush of her lips against his, then heard her longing whisper, "There is so much death in the Underdark. I need to feel alive, Valen. Make me feel alive."

His self-control evaporated in that split second, and without warned he roughly hauled her body against his chest, crushing her lips with a searing kiss as his tail lashed possessively around her thigh in a tight coil. Lia stiffened in surprise at first, but moaned in delight as his probing tongue demanded entrance into her warm mouth, his rough palms caressing and massaging her back and bottom with ever increasing ardor. Loosing his silky, blood-colored hair, Lia dragged her nails over his scalp, stopping to give his horns a demanding tug to break their kiss and expose his tender throat to her sharp, white teeth.

Valen gasped and ground his teeth as she bit and suckled her way along his jaw and down his neck, mindless of the raining falling harder and harder down on them. It suddenly seemed very unfair to him that she was naked and he began tugging at the buckles of his training leathers, but the water had made them slippery and uncooperative. He was on the verge of simply cutting them off with a dagger when he felt's Lia's agile fingers take over, and within moments his armor was being stripped from him piece by piece.

A low growl rose in his throat as she knelt to remove his boots, her hair plastered in a wave across her back as the rain pelted down, and by the time she'd finished, he'd ripped his shirt up over his head, eager to feel her bare skin against his. She gasped into his mouth as her cool, smooth flesh slid against his unearthly-hot chest, and lightning streaked somewhere near them so brightly that it left dark spots swimming across her vision. The pressure of her soft, wet breasts pressed to his bare chest, mingled with the feel of her fingernails raking mercilessly across his scalp as she suckled greedily on his tongue nearly drove the tiefling to throw her on the ground and ravage her there in the mud. But he wanted more than that.

His tail twisted around her waist as he hauled her against him, lifting her off the ground, and his groan was punctuated by another low rumble of thunder as she wrapped her thighs around his waist, grinding herself against him. In two long strides, the warrior carried his prize to the low rock shelf where she'd placed her gear, swiping the leathers and pack aside with one swift movement, then lowered her bare body carefully on the hard surface. Her eyes reflected the violent streaks of lightning as she stretched herself seductively under his gaze, and he took a moment to drink in the sight of her. A breeze gusted over them, and though Valen barely felt it through his heated skin, he realized it must have been quite cold against the elf's wet skin as a wave of goosebumps traveled over his skin. He grinned at the sight, bending suddenly to capture one of her hard nipples in his mouth.

Lia gasped and arched her back, mindless of the cold stone pressing into her uncomfortably, delighted by the heat of his lips and tongue working across her sensitive flesh. Rising up on her elbows she blinked the rain from her eyes, her breathing heavy in anticipation as she watched him trail lower, his tongue circling her bellybutton playfully. A small whimper rose in her throat, and she longed to allowing him to continue his decent, but another gust of icy wind decided her.

She grasped his horns and hauled him upright, sitting up and scooting herself to the edge of the rocky shelf before he could voice a protest at being interrupted. She sealed his mouth with a demanding kiss, pressing herself again his impossibly warm body as her nimble fingers made short work of his breeches, yanking them down over his hips and exposing his throbbing desire to the cool air. Valen's knees nearly buckled as her fingers closed around his shaft, then gave out completely as she shifted herself forward to press him into her hot, wet center in one sharp thrust of her hips.

Gasping, he clung to her, bracing himself against the rock just to keep himself upright, his eyes shifting from blue to red and every color in between and back again as the rain continued to fall on their intermingled bodies. Lia whispered something in breathy elvish against his pointed ear, her fingers dancing tenderly across his scarred back as she tightened her walls around him maddeningly. Burying his face in the damp crook of her neck, Valen bit down hard on her shoulder, grinning as she whimpered and twisted in pain and pleasure, then slowly began thrusting into her.

Tail still wrapped around her waist, Valen cupped her bottom in both hands, lifting her completely from the stone with each long, slow movement of his hips. Lia moaned and whispered his name feverishly, drawing him into another deep kiss, sucking his tongue each time he slid inside of her. Pleasure ripped through her body, the heat of his skin against her wind-chilled flesh adding a new element to the experience, but each time she tried to speed the movements of their bodies, Valen would not let her.

"Valen," she moaned, twisting her hips in vain against his solid grip on her backside, "please…."

The tiefling buried his face against her throat and shook his head. "Not yet," he breathed, continuing his slow, torturous thrusts as he gently nibbled along her jawline.

"Please," she begged, tightening her walls around him again, trying to get him to lose control. "Valen, please…."

Grinding his teeth for control, Valen held her away from him for a few heartbeats, the hard length of him taunting her warmth until she writhed against him. She cried out and threw her head back as he slammed himself into her mercilessly once, her breathing calming to a ragged gasp as he resumed his slow, deliberate thrusts. One callused palm slid off her bottom and caressed her breast demandingly, and Lia gave up control as her mind clouded over with delicious sensations. Valen grinned to himself when she finally yielded.

Lia clung to him, matching the rhythm of his hips with her own, her thoughts a muddled mass of pleasure painted with cool water and hard, hot muscle and rain-slicked skin. Her whole body trembled as a desperate tension began to build within her, her passion driven higher with every long, drawn-out movement of Valen's body. Lightning crackled around them, the resounding thunder so loud that the stone beneath her vibrated from the sound.

"_Aiya_, Valen," she gasped, her nails needing into his shoulders as the broken words tumbled from her lips. "_Amin…anta lle…aiya! Amin naa…manka lle_…please. Valen…_amin mela lle_…."

Her voice, so low and lusty, tickling against his ear drove him mad with desire, and though he could not understand her, he knew by the tremor of her muscles that she was close. Unable to hold himself back anymore, Valen startled her by shoved her roughly away from him, hauling the much smaller elf easily around until she knelt on the stone slab on her hands and knees. The longing, taunting smirk she flashed him over her shoulder brought a low, rumbling growl up from his chest as he seized her hips in both hands and impaled himself within her.

Lia's started, breathy cry as he filled her urged him to withdrawn and thrust into her again, and again, faster and harder as she gasped his name, her voice soon drown out as the storm above them reached a fevered pitch. Folding himself over her back, Valen pounded into her firm body, cupping and squeezing her breasts as he kissed and bit the tender skin on the back of her neck, savoring her passionate screams of pleasure.

His body cried for release, but he refused to let himself go. Without mercy he teased, pinched, licked at her skin until she was buckling against him like an animal, writhing and gasping incoherent elvish words as her body tightened almost painfully around him in explosive release. Only then, as she shivered and trembled beneath him, did Valen grasp her roughly by the hips and thrust ruthlessly into her one last time, pressing himself into her as deeply as possible while a fervent groan rose up in his throat.

Valen shuddered violently, his senses fading to black for a moment and his head swimming as he rode the fading waves of pleasure rolling out of him. As he slowly came back to himself, he was aware of the hard stone beneath his palms, his arms shaking as he held the bulk of his weight off of the woman collapsed prone beneath him. The rain had stopped, her summoned storm apparently over, and when Valen opened his eyes he stared fixated as a few drops fell from his soaked hair and onto the elf's unblemished, olive skin. Then he realized with a start that she was shaking.

"Lia?" She stirred as he said her name, lifting her head to offer him a sated smile over her shoulder, but her lips were blue, her body wracked with cold shivers. "Oh, gods," he breathed, shoving himself off of her and gathering her icy body into his arms, "you're freezing!"

She chuckled a little, snuggling herself against the warmth of his naked body. "I-it's my own f-f-fault." Valen looked around helplessly for something to wrap her in, but the rain had soaked everything. "B-blankets," she stuttered through chattering teeth. "I-in my p-pack."

Of course – their packs were waterproof. Valen released her, his heart giving a small squeeze as she made a whimper of protest, and retrieved her muddy pack. Sure enough, the inside was completely dry, her bedroll and blankets untouched by the downpour, and Valen immediately set about making a nest of them on their rocky perch. Within seconds, he'd crawled into the makeshift bed and dragged the elf firmly against his chest, burying her in the blankets.

Valen cradled her against his chest, gently stroking her wet hair back from her face in a soothing, absent gesture until she gradually began to stop shivering. Her breathing turned calm and even, and Valen had begun to wonder if she'd fallen asleep when he felt her fingers moving tenderly across his chest. Slowly she traced the outlines of his many scars, not speaking, but when she finally turned her gray eyes up to meet his azure stare her gaze was bright with emotion.

Looking down at the beautiful, compassionate wild elf, a jolt of guilt traveled through Valen's mind and he dropped his eyes from her and muttered, "I'm sorry."

He felt her startle and lift her head up to look at his face. "Sorry?"

Shame was written plainly across his brow as he tried to meet her eyes again. "I…hurt you." He'd seen the blood and scrapes across her knees from where the stone had torn her flesh, and he knew that the marks he'd put on her neck and shoulders would soon turn to bruises.

Lia laughed softly as she snuggled closer to him, her curious fingers drifting lower to tease across his tense abdomen. "I'll live."

Valen sighed and let his eyes fall shut for a moment, her touch both making him feel better and worse at the same time. "It wasn't supposed to be like this," he all but groaned.

Her hand froze just below his navel, her fingers curling in the light dusting of red hair that trailed down the center of his stomach, then propped herself up on her elbow. The look she gave him was searching as she softly asked, "Wasn't supposed to be like this? Then…what was it supposed to be like, Valen?" The tiefling felt a blush burn its way across his cheeks, but she held his gaze and pressed, "Please tell me."

"I wanted to take you in my arms," he found himself admitting, feeling like a fool, but the sincere, tender expression on her face seemed to wring the words out of him. "I wanted to kiss your mouth," he traced his thumb lightly over her lower lip, "and tell you how beautiful you are, how your strength amazes me. I needed you to know how much I respect you, how much I trust you, because," his voice failed him for a moment before he was able to force the words out through his constricted throat. "Because somewhere between the fighting and arguing and death, between the negotiations and ambushes and the way you are always there to heal me, I…I fell in love with you, Lia."

The uncertainty in his eyes faded as he watched a wide, beautiful smile spread across the woman's face, and his heart thumped in his chest as she captured his face between her hands and sealed his lips in a ravening kiss. "Just remember," she whispered hotly against his mouth, "I said it first."

Surprised, Valen pulled back to look at her questioningly. "When?"

"While we were…" she started, then blushed and flashed a suggestive smile, "enjoying the storm. Although I've been told it doesn't count if you say it in the height of passion."

Valen's low chuckle rumbled through his chest, and he startled her by suddenly flipping her onto her back, leaning over her with his warm, powerful body. "If it didn't count," he purred, his lips but a hairsbreadth from her own as his tail once more slid possessively around her thigh, "then say it again."

Lia smiled and sighed happily as his crimson locks fell around his face and tickled her neck. "_Amin mela lle,"_ she murmured longingly against his mouth. "I love you, Valen."


End file.
